Oil reclaiming apparatus



y 1937. E.D. BRADFORD OIL RECLAIMING APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 11,1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l m1; mum

1853 MEI" 2';

A ORNEY July 13, 1937. I E. D. BRADFORD '7 2,

' OIL REGLAIMING APPARATUS v Original Filed Jan. 11, 1954- sheets shge t2 E. D. BRADFORD OIL RECLA IMING APPARATUS July 13,. 193 7.

Original Ffil ed Jan. 11, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet' 3 ATTQRNEY Patented July13, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OIL RECLAIMING APPARATUS Elmer D.Bradford,

Denver, Colo., assignor to Kramlich-Bradford Manufacturing Company,Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colorado 8 Claims.

My invention relates to oil reclaiming devices, and more particularly toan apparatus and a method for reconditioning and reclaiming usedlubricating oil, particularly oil from the crank case of an internalcombustion engine, this application being a. continuation in part of myapplication Serial No. 623,253, filed July 18, 1932.

It is a particular purpose of my invention to provide an apparatus ofextreme simplicity, with a low cost of operation, that requires verylittle attention from the operator, and which is substantially automaticin operation. More particularly the invention comprises an apparatusthat can be filled at the proper place with the oil to be reclaimed andset in operation and will continue to operate without further attentionuntil all of the oil has been acted on by the apparatus, whereupon itwill automatically cease its operation.

It is a particular purpose of my invention to provide an apparatus ofthe above mentioned character, which comprises a reservoir for the oilthat is to be acted on by the apparatus, vaporizing means and filteringmeans, which requires only that the reservoir be filled with the oil tobe acted upon by the apparatus, and starting of the apparatus, whereuponthe apparatus operates until all of the oil has been acted on therebyand then ceases to operate, there being nohandling whatsoever of the oilnecessary during the various steps of the process carried out by theapparatus.

It is one of the important objects of the invention to provide a compactand highly efficient reclaiming device, which will take up a very smallspace in a garage or similar place, and which will vaporize water,gasoline, and other volatile liquids that dilute the lubricating oil,and which will also completely and entirely remove all suspended solidmaterial, such as dirt, carbon, metal particles, and similar materials.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide a device of the abovementioned character that is adjustable so that the same will produce afinished product, the specific gravity of which may be varied.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of the abovementioned character that is automatic in operation, in that itautomatically shuts off or discontinues operation of the heating meansutilized for vaporizing the oil to be acted on by the apparatus, andalso the heating means, if any, that may be provided for the filteringapparatus, when the supply of oil in the supply reservoir has beenexhausted, or when the oil reservoir is empty or substantially empty. Itis still another purpose of my invention to provide vaporizing meansproviding a circuitous path for the oil, so that the oil will come intointimate contact with the heated surface over a long path of travelthereof, whereby all of the oil is subjected to heating in intimatecontact with the heated surface, providing a highly efiicient heatingmeans, whereby a minimum consumption of current for heating the oil tovaporize the undesirable dilutents thereof, is required.

It is a particular purpose of my invention to provide a controllingmeans for my improved apparatus, which controls the supply of current tothe various heating apparatus provided for the device, so that theheating thereof will be controlled by the supply of oil passing from theoil supply reservoir, and which is so constituted and arranged that whenthere is any appreciable amount of oil in the oil reservoir the circuitwill be closed, but when the oil reservoir is empty or substantiallyempty, the circuit will be opened.

It is another object of my invention to provi-de a device of the abovementioned character that is entirely closed when in operation, so as toprevent the escape of undersirable and dangerous fumes therefrom, andwhich is, however, so arranged that the various operating and adjustingmeans are accessible from the exterior thereof, and so that the variousdevices utilized for the treatment of the oil, can be readily removedfor cleaning purposes.

It is still another purpose or my invention to provide an apparatus ofthe above mentioned character that is so constructed that it willprevent any grease that may accidentally be contained in the oil to bereclaimed, from reaching the filter utilized in conjunction with myapparatus, whereby the filter is prevented from being clogged or injuredby said grease.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as thedescription of the drawings proceeds. I desire to have it understood,however, that I do not intend to limit myself to the particular detailsshown or described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view in vertical section, of my improved oil reclaimingapparatus.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View, partly in elevation and partly in section,of the upper portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, showing the partsin an alternative position from that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View, partly in section and partly in elevation,of the controlling apparatus provided for the form of the inventionshown in Figs. 1 to. 6 inclusive.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of oil reclaimingapparatus, the lower portion thereof being broken away.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section taken on the line Ililfi of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary section taken on the line l|-H of Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly inelevation, of the controlling apparatus utilized in the form of theinvention shown in Figs. 8 to 11 inclusive.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper portion,of a further modification of the apparatus, and

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary elevational View of the apparatus shown in Fig.13, as viewed from the right end of Fig. 13.

Referring in detail to the drawings, my improved. oil reclaimingapparatus comprises a metallic casing It, which may be closed by meansof any suitable closure means, such as a door ll. Removably mountedwithin the casing I0 is an oil reservoir I2, which is made in the formof a rectangular open topped pan-like member in the form of theinvention shown, the same being mounted on a pair of angles l3 fixedlymounted on angular brackets l4, the pan-like member being slidable intoand out of position on the angles IS. The bottom I5 of said oil supplyreservoir I2 is provided with an opening 16, which has a pipe connectionI! extending therefrom that is provided with a valve l8. The valve 18,as will be obvious from Fig. 2, is provided with an operating rod orshaft l9, which is con nected with an operating finger or handle 20 innon-rotatable relation. Thus the handle 20 can be used as an indicatoron a dial 2|, to indicate the amount that the valve l8 has been opened.Any suitable graduations can be provided on the dial 2 I.

Mounted over the outlet opening I6 is a conical strainer 22, which is ofsuch mesh as to prevent any large particles of foreign matter in the oilfrom passing through the same and out through the outlet tube II. Inorder to prevent grease or similar heavy lubricants that may be in thecrank case drainings, or similar oil, to be reclaimed, from entering theoutlet IS, a dam 23 is provided, which is made in the form of a circularor annular member surrounding the outlet [6 and fixed in liquid-tightrelation to the bottom I5 of the oil supply reservoir [2. The oil supplyreceptacle 12 is adapted to be filled with oil by being either removedentirely from the casing and filled exteriorly thereof and then placedin the receptacle by sliding along the angles l3, or else the same can,be partly slid out of the casing and the contents of some othercontainer poured into the same. This oil reservoir sions in theapparatus.

or supply receptacle I 2 is located adjacent the top of the casing Ill.7

Immediately below the receptacle or reservoir l2, and substantiallycoaxial with the outlet pipe I7, is a vaporizer 24, said vaporizer 24comprising a conical body portion having a pan-like member 25 formed atthe top thereof in which the oil escaping from the valve I8 is received.Thus the upper portion of the evaporator comprises an oil heating panthat has a bottom 26, below which is located a heating device 21, whichis preferably an electrical heating element, and which is held in placeby. any suitable clamping means, such as the clamping member 28 securedto the boss 29 by means of a headed, screw threaded fastening element30.

A drain cock (H is provided on the pan 25 for a purpose to be describedbelow. The body portion 24 increases gradually in diameter from the pan25 in a downward direction, and is provided with a spiral flange 32,defining a spiral groove 33, running around the member 24 fromimmediately below the bottom of the pan-like member 25 to the bottom endof the conical body portion 24. The body portion 24 is hollow and thebottom thereof is closed by means of a closure plate 34, which,preferably, has a heat insulating lining 35, the plate 34 beingdetachably held in position by means of the headed, screw threadedelements 36. The electrical heating element is supplied with electricalenergy through the conductors provided in the cord 31, which extendsthrough a metal conduit 38, which is threaded in an opening in the bodyportion 24, and which leads from a junction box 39. A switch 40 isprovided that controls the supply of the current from an exteriorsource, that is connected with the electrical cord 4!, and connected inseries with the switch 46, and automatically controlling the operationof the heating element 21, is an automatic switching device, which willbe described more in detail below.

The automatic controlling device has a conductor 42 leading to the samefrom the switch 40, and has a pair of conductors in the cable 43 4leading from the same, one of said conductors 44 in the cable 43 and aconductor 45, leading from the switch 40, comprising the conductors inthe cord 37 that leads to the electrical heating device 2'! through theconduit 38. Said controlling device comprises a switching element thatwill have alternative open and closed circuit positions, and which ispreferably of an enclosed type so as to prevent any possibility ofsparks causing explo- A signal light 9| indicating the condition of thecircuit is interposed .in the conductor 42, being in series with theswitching element 45. In the form of the invention shown, this switchingelement is a mercury switching element 45 of a well known type, whichcomprises a glass tube having a pair of contacts therein, mounted ininsulated relation to each other, to which the conductors 42 and 43 areconnected, which are bridged by the mercury within the insulatinghousing of said switching element when the switching element is in theposition shown in Fig. 1, or in the full line position shown in Fig. '7.The mercury switching element 46 is mounted on a bracket 41 provided ona lever 48, which is pivotally mounted on a downwardly obliquelyinclined portion 49 of a bracket 50, the bracket 50 being mounted on thecasing H] in any desired manner. Said bracket 47 and lever 48 are madeup of paired members rigidly secured together, as will be evident fromFig. 3. The bracket 41 is so related to the lever 48 that it will beextending at the proper oblique angle to close the circuit between thecontacts at the end 5! of the member 45, by means of the mercurycontained in said switching element 45, when the parts are in theposition shown in Fig. 7. The lever 48 is provided with a bifurcated endportion providing a yoke-like member having the arms 52 thereon, betweenwhich is pivotally mounted a cup-like member 53, said cup-like memberbeing so located that the same will be in the path of the stream of oildischarged from the valve I8 in any of the positions that said member 53can assume. A small bleeding opening 54 is provided in the bottom of thecup-like member 53, said bleeding opening 54 being of such size that oilwill be discharged therefrom at a slower rate than it would bedischarged by the valve E8 in any open position of said valve I8provided by means of the indicator handle member 20. Thus when the valvel8 is open the cuplike member 53 will be filled more rapidly than theoil will be discharged through the opening 54 and will overflow. Thecup-like member 53 will thus be completely filled with oil after thevalve I8 has been in an open position for a short period of time andwill remain substantially so, as long as there is oil in the reservoirl2 sufficient to be discharged through the valve l8. When this is thevcase the weight of the oil in the cup-like member 53 will overbalancethe weight of the switching means and bracket 41 provided on the lever48 on the opposite side of the pivot 55 from the cup-like member 53, andsaid cup-like member 53 will travel to the limit of its downwardmovement, which is the position shown in Fig. '7, whereupon theswitching means will be in such position that the contacts within thesame will be bridged by the liquid conducting means, such as the mercuryusually provided in such a switching element. Said member 48 is limitedin its movement in this direction by engagement of the fastening element92 with the portion 49 of the bracket 50.

When the reservoir l2 becomes empty so that the oil therein will reach alevel that it will not flow over the dam 23, there will be no oilsupplied through the valve !8 to the cup 53, and the oil will graduallybe discharged through the opening 54 in the bottom of the cup 53,whereupon the switching means 45 and the bracket 41, acting as acounter-weight on the lever 48, will eventually overbalance the emptycup 53 as it is emptying, causing the same to move to the position shownin Fig. 6, the lever 48 and the switching element 46 thereupon assumingthe position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, and in dotted lines in Fig.'7. When the parts are in this position the mercury, or other liquid ofa conducting character, provided in the switching element 46 will travelto the end of the same opposite that at which the contacts are located,thus breaking the circuit between the contacts in the switching element45 and the circuit to the heating element 2'! provided for thevaporizing device. It will be seen that by the use of this controllingdevice, the reservoir 12 can be filled and the valve [8 opened to thedesired position thereof, and the switch 4E2 closed, the door ll to thecasing being closed upon setting the apparatus in operation, and theapparatus can then be left without attention and will automatically shutitself off when all of the oil has been discharged from the reservoir orsupply receptacle I2, all of the oil that has overflowed the cup in themeantime having been vaporized by the vaporizing device and the lastsmall quantity that is run- 'ning over the vaporizer after the cup hasbeen emptied is being vaporized by the heat remaining in the same afterthe heating element has been de-energized by breaking the circuit.

The vaporizing element is mounted on a pair of obliquely extendingsupporting members 5 5, which cross at the center of the device and aresecured together at said point in any desired manner, as by welding. Themembers 56 are welded, in the form of the invention shown in Fig. l, onangle members 51 that are secured to the casing Ill on opposite sidesthereof.

Mounted below the vaporizer 24 is a receiving pan or receptacle 58,which is open at the top thereof, and which is adapted to receive theheated oil that has been acted on by the vaporizer 24, and from whichthe more volatile constituents have been removed by vaporization. Saidpan 58 has a relatively large opening 55 in the center thereof, and anannular or ring-like dam member 60 is provided around the opening 59 inliquid tight relation to the bottom (it of the pan member 58 in order totrap any grease that i might have been contained in the crank casedrainings or similar oil that has been reclaimed, to prevent the passageof the same into the filtering apparatus forming a part of my invention.The filtering means is suspended from the pan 58 and comprises a conicalcasing or housing 52,

which may be secured in any desired manner, as by welding, to the bottom6| at the upper, smaller end thereof, and by means of bracing elements53, which are secured to said bottom ill, by welding or in a similarmanner, and to the conical housing 62 near the lower, wider end thereof.

The housing 62 of the filter is preferably filled with a filteringmaterial 64, which is preferably, fullers earth. At the upper, smallerend of the filter within the housing 62, a screen 65 is provided, and ifdesired, cotton, mineral wool, or similar porous material 66 may beprovided below the screen 65, and a similar screen 65 and similar porousmaterial 65 are provided at the bottom end of the filter housing 52.

A clamping ring (it provided with a plurality of cross rods or wires 68is provided for holding the screen 55 in position, said clamping ringfil being held in place by means of pivoted bolts 59 having wing nutsiii, which engage with ears H provided on the outside of the housing 62,said bolts 59 passing through said ears H and companion ears 52.

Provided within the conical housing 62 are the baflle members 13, saidbafiie members having substantially vertically extending walls so thatthe same form substantially open ended cylinders, which are secured attheir upper ends to the conical housing 62 and are free of and spacedfrom the same at their lower ends. The baifie members are provided toprevent the oil, flowing downwardly through the filter, from formingchannels in the filtering material adjacent the walls of the housing.The oil that will tend to follow the wall 52 will be diverted by thebaffle members in the filter, depending from said pan 58, and

will be evenly distributed through said material due to the provision ofthe distributing means provided by the cotton, mineral wool, or otherporous material 66 at the top of the filter, and due to the shape of thefilter itself; passing through said filtering material, it will bedischarged into an oil collecting receptacle 14, located adjacent thebottom 15 of the casing I0. During its passage through the filteringmaterial 64, any solid particles, such as dirt, or grit, or carbon, ormetallic particles, will be removed from the oil and the oil received inthe pan 14 will be clean, and free of all diluting volatile constituentsthat may have been present in the crank case drainings that wereoriginally placed in the supply receptacle.

The filter and the pan 58, to which the filter is attached, arepreferably removable as a unit from the apparatus for cleaning purposes,and in order to removably mount the same in the casing l 8, angularbrackets 16 are provided on the casing upon which the angular guiderails 11 are mounted, said angular guide rails '11 having openings l8therein, through which extend the rollers 19 mounted for rotation in anysuitable manner upon brackets 88 secured to the under side of said guiderails Ti. Said rollers 19 engage the bottom 6| of the pan 58, and itwill be obvious that the pan and the attached filter can be readily slidinto position in the casing, due to the provision of said rollers 19,and also readily withdrawn therefrom.

Preferably, heating means is provided for the lower portion of thefilter. Said heating means is further particularly desirable in coldweather when the heat contained in the oil, due to having passed overthe vaporizer, is insufficient to keep the same in a sufficiently mobilecondition to readily pass through the filter at the lower portionthereof, due to its being cooled in its passage through the filter. Saidheating 'means, preferably, comprises a pair of heating elements 8|,which are mounted in suitable vapor proof housings 82, attached in anysuitable manner, as by means of screw threaded, headed fasteningelements 83, to the conical housing 62. Metallic conduits 84 lead tothese heating elements 8|, a conductor 85 extending from the switchingelement as, and a conductor 86 extending from the switch 48, to aseparable plug I09 which has the socket part thereof carried by saidconductors and the prong part by a conduit 2 from which the conduits 84branch. The conductors in the conduits 84 are connected in parallel sothat while said switch 40 and the switching element 46 are connected inseries, said conductors 85 and 86 lead to the heating elements 8|, andthe heating elements are connected in parallel with each other. Thus themercury switching element 45 also controls the operation of the heatingelements 8 and these are de-energized upon emptying of the cup-likemember 53, which, as previously explained, is dependent upon theemptying or substantial emptying of the supply receptacle l2.

The oil receiving receptacle 14 is provided with depending ribs 81thereon that slidably engage with the bottom of the housing It), and apair of angle members 88 is provided on said bottom 15 to guide the oilreceiving receptacle 74 into and out of position within the casing inproper position below the filter to receive the filtered oil therefrom.Suitable handles 89 and a suitable pouring spout 98 may be provided onsaid receptacle if desired.

A" vent 93*is provided for the casing, and the vapors created by meansof the vaporizer unit 24 pass out through this vent. Thus the vaporizeris, in effect, an open pan with a large area over which the oil to bereclaimed flows continuously in a thin layer over an extended period,and this pan is open to the vent 93 for the escape of the volatileconstituents that it is desired to eliminate from the, oil. While thedevice is in operation the door II, or other suitable closure means, isclosed, latching means being provided for the door, which are indicatedin a general Way at 94, and are operated by means of a knob 95. Aftereach operation of the device, the pan 25 is drained by opening the draincock 3|, and when the apparatus is ready to be set in operation, the pan25 is empty, as is also the pan 58 and the oil receiving receptacle 14,the filter being also substantially free of oil. The oil supplyreceptacle or reservoir |2, is first filled in any desired manner, andput in position in the apparatus and with all the parts in properposition and the apparatus ready to begin its operation, the opening ofthe valve l8, which is preferably, a stop cock, or pet cock, that has aneffective opening, dependent upon the amount it is turned by means ofthe rod-like member |9, is opened to the desired position by setting thehandle-like pointer 28 at the point at which it is desired to open thevalve. Thereupon the closure means H is closed and the switch 40 isactuated to close the circuit through the same. During this time oil hasbeen flowing from the valve l8 into the cup 53, and as soon as the cup53 is filled the circuits to the heating element 2'! and to the heatingelements 8| are closed. After the cup 53 overflows, the pan-like member25 at the top of the vaporizer 24 fills with oil before any of it runsdown the circuitous passage provided by the grocve 33 back of the flange32, the pet cock 3|, of course, being closed. The oil from a previousoperation of the device is removed from the pan 25 so that there will beno cold oil in the pan at the time the operation of the devicecommences. The entire device 24 being heated up thoroughly by theheating element contained within the same, the oil in the pan will beheated to a relatively high temperature and the oil overflowing the pan,and along the inclined spiral path 33, ed as it passes along the same soas to vaporize the volatile constituents, of the oil to be reclaimed, tothe desired extent.

It will be obvious that the wider the valve I8 is opened, the more oilwill overflow the pan 25,

and the deeper a stream of oil will flow along the spiral runway 33. Itwill also be obvious that thus the viscosity of the oil can be regulatedby the amount that the valve 8 is opened. The wider the valve is openedthe less viscous the oil will be, as the oil will flow at a more rapidrate over the vaporizer 24 and will not be as highly heated as when asmaller quantity flows over the vaporizer 24. After the hot oil leavesthe vaporizer it accumulates in the pan 58 and passes into the filter62, the hot oil gradually percolating through the filtering material anddischarging through the bottom screen 65 into the oil collecting orreceiving receptacle '14.

During this operation the fumes and vapors willv be carried off throughthe vent 93, and the device Will continue to operate as long as there isoil in the supply reservoir l2, without any attention whatsoever by theperson who has set the .device in operation. It will thus shut itself011;;

will be increasingly heatby opening the switch at 46 when the supplyreservoir I2 has been substantially completely emptied, so that no moreoil will be flowing into the cup 53, the signal light 9| indicating tothe observer whether the process is proceeding or i has been completed.Instead of filling the pan I2 after removal from the casing, said pancan be filled by inserting a funnel through the open ing I5I in the topof the casing, which opening is .provided with a-closure I52.

In Figs. 8 to 12, inclusive, a slightly modified form of the inventionis shown, which more readily facilitates the removal of certain parts ofthe apparatus from the casing, and which is so constructed and arrangedthat all electrical apparatus is in vapor tight housings or conduits.The construction of the casing I0 is substantially the same aspreviously described, and is provided with a stack 93 for the purposepreviously mentioned. The oil supply receptacle I2 is made in the samemanner as has been previously described, and is provided with the sameappurtenances, which bear the same reference numerals as in the form ofthe invention shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive. However, instead ofmerely mounting the oil supply pan I2 on the angle members I3, rollers96 are provided, which are pivotally' mounted in brackets 91 provided onthe angle members I3, and which extend through openingsin said anglemembers so as to project above the top faces thereof with the bottom I5of the pan contacting therewith, these being provided to facilitatesliding of the oil supply pan or receptacle I2 into position in thehousing or casing I0.

The valve I8 is mounted in substantially the same manner as. previouslydescribed, and is controlled in substantially the same manner, as willbe obvious from Fig. 10. The vaporizer 24' is very similar to thevaporizer ,24, the only difference between the vaporizer 24 and thevaporizer 24 being that the vaporizer 24 has no bottom, but is aseparate unit that is. setupon a conical housing 98, which is providedwith a boss 99 for receiving the securing member I00 for the clamp IOIthat secures a heating element 21 in position in said housing 9 8. Theconduit 38 enters a threaded opening in the conical member 98 invapor-tight relation, and a bottom I02 is welded, or otherwise secured,in vapor-tight relation to the bottom peripheral edge of themember 98, aheat insulation lining I03 being provided therefor.

The vaporizer unit 24' is provided with a slotted opening I04 at thebottom edge thereof for accommodating the conduit 38. The conduit 38 isdirectly connected in vapor-tight relation with a switoh box 39', whichis provided with the signal light BI and with wiring correspondingsubstantially to that previously described in connection with Figs. 1 to'7 inclusive, the conductors leading tothe conduits 38 and 84 in thesame manner as described in connection with that form of the inventionshown in Figs. 1 to '7. The switch box 39, howevenis. somewhat largerthan the junction box 39, so asto accommodate the switching elementconstituting part of the automatic controlling means. The member 24 isotherwise made the same as the member 24, and as far as the externalconfiguration thereof is concerned, is substantially the same andoperates in substantially the same maner. The inner housing 90 for theheating element is mounted in fixed relation on an arm, I05 of a bracketI06 secured to the rear wall of thecasing I0.

While the vaporizer 24' is removable readily case if the parts were madeintegral with each other, and the operation of the device is the same aspreviously described.

The switch 40 is provided for the same purpose as previously describedand is in series with a switching element 46' of a controlling means,dependent in its operation upon the discharge of oil from the valve I0,said controlling means comprising a cup-like member I01, which ismounted on one end of a lever I08 mounted on a shaft IIO, said lever I08being provided with a counter-weight III, that overbalances' the cup I01when it is empty, and which is overbalanced by the cup I01 when said cupis full of oil. The pivot I I0 is a shaft that is fixed, by means of thenuts, I I3 and H4 engaging a threaded end of said shaft, to the ear H5provided on the lever I08, said shaft being pivotally mounted in abearing II6 provided in the wall of the switch box 39, said bearingcomprising a bushing for providing a vapor-tight connection between theshaft and the switch box 39.

A mounting for the switch element 40 is provided, which constitutes asleeve-like portion II1, which is fixed on the shaft I I 0 inanysuitablemanher, as by means of, a nut I I0, and which has a clip portionII9 thereon for holding the glass housing of the switching element 46.The cuplike member I01 is provided with a small passage I20 therein,which constitutes a bleeding opening similar to that provided in thecup-like member a 53. The stop I50 limits movement of the lever I08 inone direction and the vaporizer 24 limits said movement in the oppositedirection.

The operation of the controlling means described above is substantiallythe same as has been previously described in conjunction with thecontrolling means shown in Figs. 1 to '7 inclusive, the cup-like memberI01 filling with oil to cause the parts to move to the dotted lineposition shown in Fig. 12 whenever oil is discharged from the valve I0,and moving to the full line position shown in Fig. 12, and which is alsothe position shown in Figs. 8 to 10, when oil has ceased to flow fromthe Valve I 8 and the cup I01 is bled through the opening I20. It willbe obvious that when the cup is empty or substantially empty, the end ofthe switching element 46 containing the contacts that are bridged by themercury or other liquid means contained therein, is uppermost, and thecircuit will be open, whereas, when the parts. are in the dotted lineposition shown in Fig. 12, which is that position assumed when the cupI01 is full, the contacts in the member 40 will be bridged by themercury or other liquid conducting means, and the circuit will beclosed.

The switching means and the controlling means therefor shown in Figs. 8to 12 inclusive, has the advantage that it is simple and very rapid inoperation, making a quick make and break, due to the large amount ofangular movement through which the member 40' moves: during its movementfrom one alternative position to the other alternative position thereof.The controlling means will operate to open and close the circuit underthe same condition as previously described, and the evaporating meansoperates in the same manner as has been previously described. The oilreceiving pan 58 is made in the same manner as shown in the form of theinvention described in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, and the filter member 62has the same relationship thereto and operates in the same manner, themounting of this filter member being the same as in Figs. 1 to 7inclusive, except that the bracing elements 63 have been omitted, theentire filter being supported directly from the bottom 6| by welding theconical housing I52 thereto. The same reference numerals are accordinglyapplied to all the parts of the filter and pan 58 and the partsassociated therewith for mounting the same in the casing I0, as wereapplied thereto in Figs. 1 to '7 inclusive. The heating elements for thefilter are mounted in a different manner, however, in order tofacilitate removal of the pan 58 and the depending filter 62 from thecasing I0.

The heating elements BI are mounted in vapor proof housings I2I, theconduits 84 being connected therewith in vapor tight relation, saidhousings I2I being secured in fixed relation on the ends of a resilientyieldable member I22, which forms a yoke-like extension on the bracketI23, to which is fixedly secured the bracket I23 having a base I24 thatis fixed to the rear wall of the housing or casing I0. The vapor proofhousings I2I are preferably curved at I25 to conform substantially tothe curvature of the outer conical wall of the filter, and when thefilter is moved into position in the casing I0 along with the pan 58,the spring arms formed by the yokelike member I22 will fiex outwardly,permitting the housing 52 of the filter to move between the members I 2Iand after the parts are in their final position in the casing I0 themembers I2I will assume the position shown in Fig. 11, springing backagainst theouter face of the conical body portion 62 of said filter.Other than noted above the form of the invention shown in Figs. 8 to 12inclusive, is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to '1inclusive, and the apparatus operates in substantially the same manner.

A further modification of the invention is shown. in Figs. 13 and 14.The casing I0 is substantially the same as has been previouslydescribed, as is the filtering means and the vaporizer 24. The oilsupply receptacle I2 is made in substantially the same manner as thereceptacle I2, and is mounted in the same manner in the casing I0. Abracket I21 is provided on the bottom I5 of the supply receptacle I2,and electrical heating means I23 surrounding the valve I 8 is secured tothe bottom I 5 by means of the bracket I21. Conductors in the cable I29lead to this heating element from suitable switching means, andconductors in the cable I30 are connected in parallel with theconductors I29 and lead from the switching means to the heating element21 through a suitable metal conduit I3I. A shaft or rod I9 extends fromthe valve I 8 and has a control knob I32 thereon at the exterior of thecabinet or casing I0, which may be provided with a dial I33 forindicating light, medium or heavy oils. For instance, if the knob isturned to the light indication, the oil will fiow comparatively rapidlyover the vaporizer 24 so that it will not have sufficient time toevaporate all of the volatile constituents, and as a result, willproduce a light or less viscous oil than when turned to the medium orheavy indication, the heavy indicae tion allowing but a small fiow, andthus causing the oil to beheated to a higher temperature,-

which would result in vaporizing practically all of the lighterconstituents from the oil so as to produce a heavy oil.

This same selective result may be accomplished by connecting the heatingelement 21 with a three-way switch I34 provided with a suitable controlknob I35, which cooperates with a suitable dial I42 to indicate thedifferent positions of the switch, the positions of the switch providingdifferent degrees of heat in the heating element 21. By turning theswitch to the proper indication, the temperature of the vaporizer may becontrolled to produce the desired amount of vaporization of the oil. Theheating elements I28 and 21 are both connected through a main switch I36with a source of current, the connections not being shown in thedrawings, but the switch I30 being connected in series with the switchI34 in a well known manner. The movable element I43 of the switch I36 isconnected with an arm I31 pivoted at I38 on a bracket provided in thereceptacle I2 and carrying a float I39 at the opposite end thereof,through a flexible connection I40, an adjusting means I being providedfor adjusting the length of the flexible connection I40 so that theswitch element I43 will be moved to open circuit position when the fioatI39 and the arm I31 reach the dotted line position shown in Fig. 13,which is the position the parts will assume when the receptacle I2 isempty. Thus the switch I 36 will be opened when the receptacle I 2 isemptied, de-energizing the heating elements 21 and I 28, thus throwingthe apparatus out of operation automatically, when the supply of oil hasbeen exhausted. Except for the features described above, the apparatusutilized in this form of the invention is the same as has beenpreviously described, and operates in the same manner as previouslydescribed What I claim is: e 1. Oil reclaiming apparatus of thecharacter described comprising an oil reservoir having an outlet in thebottom thereof, means for regulating the flow of oil from said outlet,evaporating means disposed below said outlet to receive 011 dischargedfrom said reservoir by gravity, filtering means disposed below saidevaporating means to receive oil discharged from said evaporating meansby gravity, heating means and means for discontinuing the operation ofsaid heating means upon emptying of said oil reservoir, comprisingswitching means and liquid actuated operating means for said switchingmeans mounted between said reservoir and said evaporating means in thepath of oil discharged from said outlet.

2. Oil reclaiming apparatus of the character described comprising an oilreservoir having a discharge outlet, evaporating means disposed toreceive oil discharged from said reservoir by gravity, filtering meansdisposed to receive oil discharged from said evaporating means bygravity, electric heating means for said evaporating means and saidfiltering means, and means for auto matically discontinuing theoperation of said heating means upon emptying of said oil reservoir,comprising electrical switching means and liquid actuated operatingmeans for said switching means mounted between said reservoir andevaporating means in the path of the oil discharged from said outlet.

3. Oil reclaiming apparatus of the character described comprising an oilreservoir, evaporating means disposed to receive oil discharged fromsaid reservoir by gravity, heating means for said evaporating means,controlling means for said heating means interposed between saidreservoir and said evaporating means and filtering means disposed toreceive oil discharged from said evaporating means by gravity, saidcontrolling means comprising a liquid receiving member receiving oilfrom said reservoir and discharging oil onto said evaporator.

4. Oil reclaiming apparatus of the character described comprising an oilreservoir having a discharge outlet in the bottom thereof, evaporatingmeans disposed to receive oil discharged from said reservoir by gravity,electrical heating means for said evaporating means, and circuitcontrolling means for said heating means interposed between saidreservoir and said evaporating means, and having an actuating membermounted to receive liquid discharged from said outlet.

5. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an oil reservoir, avaporizer receiving oil from said reservoir, means for feeding said oilgradually from said reservoir onto said vaporizer, means for controllingthe rate of flow of said oil from said reservoir, heating means for saidvaporizer and means controlling said heating means to discontinueoperation thereof when said reservoir is empty, comprising electricalswitch ing means and actuating means for said switching means comprisingan oil receptacle mounted between said reservoir and said vaporizer.

6. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an oil reservoirhaving a bottom outlet, a vaporizer receiving oil from said reservoir,means on said outlet for feeding said oil gradually from said reservoironto said vaporizer, electrical heating means for said vaporizer andmeans between said reservoir and vaporizer controlling the operation ofsaid heating means actuated by the oil discharged from said reservoirthrough said feeding means.

7. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an oil reservoirhaving a bottom outlet, a vaporizer receiving oil from said reservoir,means for feeding said oil gradually from said reservoir onto saidvaporizer by gravity, electrical heating means for said vaporizer andcontrolling means for said heating means comprising a receptaclereceiving oil from the bottom outlet of said reservoir and having adischarge orifice of such size that said receptacle is normally fullduring discharge of oil from said reservoir but will be emptied wheneverdischarge of oil from said reservoir ceases, and means for mounting saidreceptacle so that the same will assume alternative positions when fulland when empty.

8. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an oil reservoir, avaporizer receiving oil from said reservoir, means for feeding said oilgradually from said reservoir onto said vaporizer, electrical heatingmeans for said vaporizer and controlling means for said heating meanscomprising switching means and means determining the position of saidswitching means, comprising a receptacle receiving oil from saidreservoir and having a discharge orifice of such size that saidreceptacle is normally full during discharge of oil from said reservoirbut will be emptied whenever discharge of oil from said reservoirceases, and means for mounting said receptacle so that the same willassume alternative positions when full and when empty.

ELMER D. BRADFORD.

